Order restored in Dili, ABRI gives out details
DILI, East Timor (JP): Order was restored at the state-run East Timor University yesterday after a day of commotion on Thursday which had its origins in a student demonstration.
The college entrance test, which was stopped by the commotion, resumed uninterrupted yesterday.
Meanwhile, the local police said that 15 people were detained following the commotion but had all been released yesterday without facing charges.
Similarly, all the 11 people brought to the hospital because of injuries had been released by yesterday morning.
"There were no deaths at all," East Timor Police Chief Lt. Col. Andreas Sugianto told The Jakarta Post by phone.
The injuries were sustained when some of the demonstrators tried to jump over a barbed wire fence during the commotion, Andreas said.
Meanwhile, in Jakarta, the Armed Forces (ABRI) issued a statement to clarify the situation in East Timor and the background surrounding the incident, to rectify the misperceptions that have been developing.
The ABRI Information Center acknowledged that Dili had recently seen a number of demonstrations by East Timor youths and students who are targeting the local government.
These protests were initially peaceful, but because of the influence of "certain irresponsible parties", they turned brutal. Apparently, injuries were sustained when the authorities tried to take preventive measures.
The first protest occurred on June 28 during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Remaxio Roman Catholic church.
A number of ABRI members, who were in the area for a road construction project, were invited to attend but those who were not Catholics were requested to stay outside the church during the holy ritual.
However, two ABRI members, out of curiosity, decided to sneak in and this upset many people who saw it as an affront. This prompted them to protest, demanding that their religion be respected.
Public apology
Col. Jhony Lumintang, the chief of the East Timor military command, has already made a public apology regarding the incident and promised to investigate and punish the responsible soldiers, according to a statement.
The second major demonstration occurred on Thursday at the East Timor University. It took place when four men, including a student, a jobless person and two plainclothes officers were mobbed by a group of students who accused them of molesting two nuns who were taking the entrance tests.
Later investigation found that the four men were victims of slander and that the molesters were actually three East Timor youths, but rumors continued to circulate.
On Thursday, some 250 youths gathered in the campus and were planning to march on the East Timor Legislature, some carrying posters one of which read "Viva Xanana Gusmao", a reference to the jailed East Timor separatist leader.
The authorities tried to contain the youths within the campus and this was when the commotion occurred because the youths insisted on marching, according to the statement.
Of the 15 youths interrogated, 10 turned out to be flunkies who said they had no idea about the motivation for the protests, it said. (prs/yac)